How did supporters of the Dawes Act of 1887 expect it to affect Native Americans?

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Supporters of the Dawes Act of 1887, also known as the General Allotment Act, believed that it would have positive effects on Native Americans by promoting their assimilation into mainstream American society. The act aimed to break up tribal lands held collectively by Native American communities and allot them to individual Native American families.

The supporters of the Dawes Act expected that this measure would achieve several desired outcomes.

1. Assimilation: They believed that breaking up tribal lands and promoting individual land ownership would encourage Native Americans to adopt individualistic American values and lifestyles, assimilating them into mainstream American society. By converting them from communal societies to individual landowners, they hoped to eliminate Native American cultures and traditions, which were viewed as obstacles to assimilation.

2. Agricultural Development: Supporters thought that individual land ownership would encourage Native Americans to embrace agriculture as a means of subsistence. They hoped that Native Americans would adopt American farming practices and techniques, thus becoming self-sufficient farmers.

3. Economic Independence: The Dawes Act aimed to transform Native Americans into independent landowners who could generate income from their land. Proponents believed that this economic independence would lead to increased self-sufficiency and the eventual end of Native American dependence on federal assistance.

4. Encouraging Education: Supporters also believed that the Dawes Act would facilitate Native American education. By dividing reservations into smaller plots, they hoped to free up land for the creation of schools and provide a means to encourage Native American children to attend schools and receive a Western education.

Overall, the supporters of the Dawes Act expected it to lead to the assimilation, economic independence, agricultural development, and education of Native Americans, ultimately creating conditions for their integration into mainstream American society. However, the actual consequences of the act were far from the intended outcomes, and Native Americans faced severe losses of land, cultural disruption, and economic hardships.
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